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Volume 8 Issue 9 September 2016

Club Meetings

First Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM

KC Greenville Learning Center (Kaskaskia College)

209 N. Third St. Greenville, IL 62246

Next Meeting

October 6 2016

In This Issue

2 - Next Months Program

3 - Meeting Minutes

5 - Upcoming Events

6 - Peoria Superfest

8 - Hurricane Watch Net

Club Net

Each Sunday at 9:00 PM on 147.165 PL 103.5

Also on Linked Repeater System

Club Repeaters

AD9OV/R 147.165+ (PL 103.5) 224.440- (PL 103.5) 442.925+ (PL 103.5)

OVARC NEWSLETTER The Monthly Publication of the Okaw Valley Amateur Radio Club

Special Event Station N9T

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October Program

How To Set Up Your First Station

At the October 6 meeting, Cary Holman W4GRN will be presenting "How To Set Up Your First HF and or VHF Ham Station. If your new to Amateur Radio or maybe just need some new ideas, come check out the presentation and ask others how they set theirs up. Hams are always willing to share their successes and the humble ones will even share their mistakes to keep you from making them yourself.

Jims Engraving

For all of your glass and ceramic engraving needs, in your home or business, as well as gift giving.

www.JimsEngraving.com

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MEETING MINUTES September 1, 2016

President Ken Norris KK9N called the meeting to order at 7:04 PM on Thursday, September 1, 2016 in Room 107 of the Kaskaskia College Education Center on Third Street in Greenville. Those in attendance signed the sign-in sheet. There were 24 people present. A quorum was found to be present. The meeting began with a welcome and introduction of the members & guests present.

Secretary’s Report:

The minutes of the August 4, 2016 meeting were displayed on the screen as printed in this month’s OVARC newsletter. Kris WB9SLM moved to accept the minutes as distributed. Seconded. Motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report:

Howard N9GEQ reported that our balance this month as, $ - - - - - On motion, the treasurer’s report was accepted.

Repeater Report:

John W9KXQ reported nothing new since the last meeting regarding the operation of our repeaters.

Volunteer Examiner (VE) Report:

John W9KXQ reported that no one has been tested since last month’s OVARC meeting.

Next Meeting:

Cary W4GRN offered to present the program next month on setting up a basic amateur radio station. He would appreciate assistance from at least one other member.

Vine to Wine:

John W9KXQ reviewed the Vine to Wine half-marathon and 5K run coming up on Saturday, September 10. Over 440 runners have already signed up to run. We agreed to provide volunteers to assist in that event. John has assigned locations along the route to those amateurs who have agreed to help. We can use 3 or 4 more amateurs, so let John know right away if you, too, can help. John showed a map of the 13-mile route, including the location of hams, water stations, rest rooms, and police officers. We will use the 442.925 repeater. John has added 146.415 with a 103.5 tone repeater cross banded with the UHF repeater. Volunteers need to be in place by 8:45 a.m. We will stop traffic while runners are using the route. Ken KK9N will serve as net control. He will refer to each ham by their position number rather than by their call sign. We hope to have APRS tracking the first and last runners in each event. All documentation can be found on the OVARC website.

Announcements:

The Peoria Superfest is September 17 & 18. At the Airstravaganza at the Greenville airport on October 1 we will have a special events station, N9T. Operators are needed. Our annual fox hunt will be October 23 at Patriots Park. The HalloweenFest will be October 29 in Kirkwood, MO.

John KD9DXF announced that Germantown is having its 125th celebration on Saturday, June 10, 2017, from 1:00 pm to 11:00 pm. He asked if we would be interested in setting up a special events station. Ken put that on our calendar to discuss later this winter.

John W9KXQ, Dave K9UK, Ken KK9N and two other hams will be leaving on June 14 on a DXpedition to Sint Maarten. The calls they will be using will be PJ7/W9KXQ, PJ7/K9UK and PJ7/KK9N. They will primarily work the WARC bands. Ken showed a display of the DXpeditions for this month. That information is available at DXworld.net

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MEETING MINUTES August 4, 2016

Scott Equipment:

John reported that through last month we had sold enough of the surplus gear we got from Scott Air Force Base to generate $1,400 for each of the three investors in the project. As of tonight, that total is now up to $1,900 each. John reported that at this moment a Belleville fireman (Chris ??) is picking up a couple of repeaters among that surplus gear to take back for review as to whether they will work for them. Les N9MFA is helping him get those repeaters programmed. If the Belleville fire department buy radios, we could expect another $3,000 in sales.

Trivia Corner:

Ken Norris KK9N asked the trivia corner question: What is the purpose of the beacon stations? They are used to give information about propagation. When you can hear a given beacon you know that that band is open to that area.

Ken showed a small APRS xmtr/rcvr. It cost less than $100, and is smaller than many HT radios.

The business meeting concluded at 7:42 pm.

Program:

Jim KF4NBG presented a program tonight on the amateur radio signs he builds. He donated one of his signs as a fund raiser for OVARC. Howard sold “50/50” tickets before Jim began his presentation. Tonight the prize will not be 50% of the funds raised, but one of Jim’s custom-designed signs valued at $180. All proceeds raised went to OVARC.

Jim uses the Rayzist sand blasting system. Jim showed a video from the company of how this system works. He uses silicon carbide for the blast grit. In 2004 Jim was becoming bored in retirement. He saw an ad about sand blast engraving and thought that might be interesting to do. Jim showed us photos of his shop over the years. Jim’s first shop was 160 sq. ft. The shop he uses now is 1,200 sq. ft. He started engraving coffee cups. About 2009 he was asked to engrave a piece of glass with a base for a customer. Jim showed photos of a number of his projects in process and finished. Jim met Gordon West WB6NOA who sent him a check for more than the bill for the sign. Leo W6TWT interviewed Gordon on Ham Nation about Jim’s signs. That feature generated $1,000 in orders by the end of the show, and in the next few months another $6,000 to $7,000 in orders. In that Ham Nation program the guys referred to Jim’s business and Jim’s Engraving, so he has used that name ever since.

Since 2011 Jim has developed his skills even more. He has learned how to light the image all the way around. He uses LED strips. The color can be changed with a remote control. The sign that Jim donated tonight is mahogany. Jim was interviewed by the Korean Amateur Radio League which resulted in an article in their magazine. He has also been featured in CQ magazine. Jim enjoys the woodworking part of building the signs. He has started making boxes for pet cremation remains with a photo of the pet engraved on a marble square on the top of the box. Jim showed photos of the wide variety of the types of signs he has made. Some included lighted tubes such as 833A, 4-1000, or 3-500Z. He found success engraving the back of a mirror so the colored light shows through what has been removed of the mirror surface by the sand blasting process. Jerry WB9NEY as the winner of the drawing for the sign.

The meeting adjourned at 8:33 pm.

Cary Holman W4GRN

Secretary

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Okaw Valley Amateur Radio Club Monthly Meeting

Thursday October 6, 2016

October OVARC Meeting 7:00 PM Kaskaskia College Greenville Extension, N. Third St. Greenville. Cary Holman W4GRN will be presenting "How To Set Up Your First HF and or VHF Ham Station. (Official Notice to follow)

Okaw Valley Amateur Radio Club Annual Fox Hunt & Fall Family Picnic

Sunday October 23, 2016 3:00PM

Annual Fox Hunt at Patriot's Park. Potluck Supper to follow at 5:00 PM. Drinks and Meats provided. More details to follow

Upcoming Events

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Peoria Superfest 2016 was not without its usual weather changes. Friday, September 17, 2016 the Exposition Gardens home of the Superfest was taking shape. Late afternoon, many ham radio operators were busy getting ready for the event. Deb Suhs KA4DEB was the Flea Market and Exhibit Chairman. She met Dan K9DNO and I at the entrance to provide us with a Exhibitor pass for the “Opera House” along with our parking permits. Deb was a very gracious host and in spite of the threat of rain, she was getting the big Flea Market area organized and ready to go. She shared that this was the last year that she was serving in this capacity for the Superfest as she had been asked to serve 2017 as the Peoria Superfest General Chairman. It was obvious that Deb had a passion for ham radio and seeing that everything was ready for the big day.

As Dan and I made our way to the Opera House, we were greeted by friendly faces of other members of Deb’s team that helped us to get our tables located and helped carry in our items for sale. As the photos will depict, we had a spread of equipment for sale. The Opera House provided us a great location, as the Ticket Barrel was close by and everyone needed a ticket to get in, thus they all passed by our table.

As luck would have it, Dan and I were able to get our equipment into the Opera House before the rain began. However, it was evident as we were leaving the Exposition Gardens that rain on Saturday, the opening day of the Flea Market was a definite possibility. Ken KK9N was stuck in traffic due to an accident that had shut down Interstate 74 for a period of time, and so Dan and I agreed to meet him at the Hotel in East Peoria. Mother Nature let loose as we were driving to the hotel making driving difficult over the short 10 mile ride from Exposition Gardens to the Hampton Inn. Needless to say, rain rain and more rain covered the area and we begin to feel that the Superfest may be a rain out. Not to fear, as Ken arrived at the Hotel, the rain was at its heaviest. What do Ham Radio Operators do when it is raining and you’re stuck in a hotel? Eat, of course. Ken and Dan picked the Granite City Food & Brewery. The food was fantastic, the service was excellent, and a good meal was had by all. As the dinner conversation progressed, hams being hams broke out their “smart phones” to get a look at the weather. Accordingly, it appeared that Mother Nature was going to allow the Superfest to proceed without more rain! We were excited!

(Continued on next page)

Peoria Superfest 2016 by John King W9KXQ

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(Continued)

Ken had agreed to chauffeur Dan and I, so Ken had to go out into the rain to get his car. It is hard to say anything bad about our President when he was being so nice! (I am sure he wanted something?) As we drove back to the Hampton Inn, we made a plan for the early morning meeting at Exposition Gardens. Ken and I found after entering our hotel room, that the air conditioner seemed not to be functioning, however, we found ourselves too tired to do anything but get some sleep. Early, Saturday morning, Ken found that it was cooler and less humid in the hallway of the hotel than in our room. (He did take a 20 minute shower) and the assumption was that was the cause of the higher than normal humidity. As we approached the breakfast bar, I took it upon myself to report the air conditioner problem to the Front Desk. The breakfast being served was hot, good and plentiful and there was coffee (Not Folgers) on brew. It wasn’t Starbucks, but not bad!

Ken had agreed to split the hotel room bill with me. He finished loading our cars while I checked out. Upon reaching my car with the bill for the room in hand, I demanded that he pay me cash for this adventure! You will have to ask Ken what his cash share was.

Upon arrival at the Exposition Gardens, the Flea Market area had many areas where water was standing, but the sky was blue, and a sunny day was on tap for Peoria Superfest 2016.

Okaw Valley ARC had a successful day of selling items from our Scott Surplus Equipment Program along with Ken’s addition of SDR Radios and Frequency Counters. Peoria Superfest is a 2 day event; however, Ken, Dan and I had other obligations for Sunday. As the sun broke out, the outside Flea Market area started to bustle, tables were being uncovered and sales were going strong. The inside vendors were also enjoying a bustling business. From all accounts, Peoria Superfest was a successful event!

by John King W9KXQ

Peoria Superfest 2016 by John King W9KXQ

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Hurricane Net Info from Brad Pioveson W9FX

Ham Nation

Wednesday Evenings

8:00 PM CDT

twit network http://twit.tv

Greetings, All. Matthew continues to churn toward the southeastern US coast. There are currently estimates that nearly 3 million residents of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas may be without AC power as a result of this storm’s wind and rains. As I said in my last message, this is a big storm, and, lots of nets will be operating. Below is a list of those nets known to have been active in other, similar storm situations, and/or frequencies that are recognized by the IARU from EMCOMM in Region 2. I have not, yet, assembled a list of nets in the US Atlantic coastal states that are about to be walloped by Matthew, but, will provide it once I have the list completed. 73, Brad, W9FX These Amateur Radio frequencies are known to be in use or are available for use during the response to Hurricane Matthew. Please avoid interfering with these frequencies, and do not check into any emergency nets unless you genuinely have something of importance to contribute. International SATERN Net: 14.265 MHz (USB) Health & Welfare Traffic Hurricane Watch Net (HWN): 14.325 MHz (USB), 7.268 MHz (LSB): Weather data and storm reports from stations in affected area Cuba (Primary): 7.110 MHz (LSB) Cuba (Alternate 1): 7.120 MHz (LSB) Cuba (Alternate 2): 7.045 MHz Cuba (Alternate 3): 7.080 MHz Cuba: 3.720 MHz Cuba: 3.740 MHz IARU Region 2: 3.750 MHz Emergency Center of Activity Frequency IARU Region 2: 7.060 MHz Emergency Center of Activity Frequency IARU Region 2: 14.300 MHz Global Emergency Center of Activity Frequency IARU Region 2: 18.160 MHz Global Emergency Center of Activity Frequency IARU Region 2: 21.360 MHz Global Emergency Center of Activity Frequency IARU Region 2: 18.160 MHz Global Emergency Center of Activity Frequency

VoIP Hurricane Net: WX-Talk Conference, Node #7203 on Echolink and IRLP Reflector 9219. IRLP Reflector 9553 is the backup. (Due to the number of limited routes to the Echolink node for mobile devices, monitor WX-TALK on a desktop computer if possible.)

http://www.arrl.org/news/frequencies-in-use-in-conjunction-with-hurricane-matthew-response

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OVARC Information

Repeaters 147.165, 224.440,

442.925

2016 Officers

President Ken Norris KK9N KK9N@ovarc.net

Vice-President Tim Rapp KT9TR

KT9TR@ovarc.net

Secretary Cary Holman W4GRN W4GRN@ovarc.net

Treasurer Howard Wise N9GEQ N9GEQ@ovarc.net

Repeater Trustees Ken Norris KK9N

John King W9KXQ Don Stover KB9EGI KB9EGI@ovarc.net

V.E. Team Coordinator Dennis W9DAW

VEteam@ovarc.net

Net Manager Clareen Dunn KB9BEB

KB9BEB@ovarc.net

Webmaster John King W9KXQ

Website http://www.ovarc.net

Net Information

Okay Valley ARC Weekly Net

The Okaw Valley ARC holds a weekly net on the Linked Repeater System at 9:00 PM on Sunday evenings. Net Control Stations serve on a rotating basis. They control our “informal Net and take announcements and check-in at appropriate times. All licensed Amateurs are invited to check-in. The net observes holidays throughout the year. [See Net Schedule Here]

Illinois ARES SSB HF Net Information

Frequency - 3.905 MHz LSB

The net is called at 1630 local time on the first and third Sunday of every month. They are called by Sections and Bond and Clinton Counties are in Region 8. When Region 8 is called any station from Bond or Clinton County who is an ARES member, or ARES volunteer can check into the net. Every HF station is invited if they would like to come onboard. Multiple pathways into your county with information is the goal.

W9VEY Memorial Net

The W9VEY Memorial Net meets on Mondays at 8:30 PM on the 146.82 MHz Repeater located in Gillespie, Illinois. Mike Funk WA9RUM Net Control Operator. This Net has been on the air since 1976.

General Contact Information

General Mailing Address OVARC Inc. P.O. Box 3 Greenville, IL 62246

Newsletter Editor Tim Rapp KT9TR Editor Email: KT9TR@arrl.net Please send emails regarding articles, new items, corrections, etc

Okaw Valley ARC Website www.ovarc.net

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Testing Opportunities

Dennis Warren W9DAW - OVARC VE Team Manager

Contact Dennis W9DAW (618)-292-9638 VETeam@ovarc.net

Kaskaskia College Greenville Education Center 209 N. Third St. Greenville, IL 62246

Courtesy call or e-mail appreciated. Two forms of ID required (one with photo). If upgrading, original, plus copy of both license and any Certificates of Successful Completion (CSCE’s) are required.

Reminder: Dues for 2016 due January 1, 2016

Dues for 2016 are $25.00 per member per year, second family member is $10. Student dues $5 per year You can pay Howard N9GEQ at club meetings or send a check made payable to Okaw Valley Amateur Radio Club

Net Schedule

October 9 - No Net - Columbus Day October 16 - KB9BEB - Clareen October 23 - WB9SLM - Chris October 30 - W9KXQ - John November 6 - KT9TR - Tim

Ken’s Trivia Corner (KK9N)

Q. What amateur-invented AM mode is often heard around 14.230 MHz

603 E. Harris Ave. Greenville, IL 62246 618-664-3353 will-o-th-wind.com

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Friends of OVARC

Owl Creek Gazette

“Serving The Self-Reliant And Do-It-Yourself Community of South Central Illinois” http://www.owlcreekgazette.com/

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The Amateurs Code

- The Radio Amateur is -

CONSIDERATE - Never knowingly operating in such a way as to lessen the pleasure of others.

LOYAL - Offering loyalty, encouragement and support to other amateurs, local clubs and the American Radio Relay League, through which Amateur Radio in the United States is represented nationally and internationally.

PROGRESSIVE - With knowledge abreast of science, a well built and efficient station, and operation beyond reproach.

FRIENDLY - With slow and patient operation when requested, friendly advice and counsel to the beginner, kindly assistance, co-operation and consideration for the interests of others. These are the hallmarks of the amateur spirit.

BALANCED - Radio is an avocation, never interfering with duties owed to family, job, school or community.

PATRIOTIC - With station and skill always ready for service to country and community.

Amateur Radio Is…

• Community Service

• Emergency Communications

• Learning New Technologies

• Worldwide Friendships

• A Hobby Without Borders!

Want to become a Ham Radio Operator

Contact us at OVARC@ovarc.net

P.O. Box 3 Greenville, IL 62246